Gift  o1  th«  Pce*id«'»» 


A  PLAN 
SUGGESTED  FOR  THE 
ORGANIZATION  OF  COLLEGES 
AND  UNIVERSITIES  FOR 
NATIONAL  SERVICE 
DURING  THE 
WAR 


By 

JOHN  L.  PATTERSON.  Litt.  D..  LL.  D. 


Printed  January  25.  1919. 


University  of  Louisville 
January,  1918 


A  paper  prepared  originally  for  Ihe  Higher  Education  Section  of  the  Kentucky  Educational 
Association,  April  26.  1918.  and  submitted  in  advance  to  the  Bureau  of  Education.  Iht  Council 
of  National  Defense,  the  Emergency  Council  on  Education  and  others. 

On  May  6,  1917,  a  conference  was  held  in  Continental  Hull, 
Washington,  D.  C,  by  the  National  Association  of  State  Universi- 
ties, the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations,  the  Association  of  American  Universities,  the  Asso- 
ciation of  American  Colleges,  and  the  Institutional  Committee  of  the 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education.  The  object  of 
the  meeting  was  the  discussion  of  the  work  of  American  colleges  and 
universities  during  the  war.  At  the  conference  there  were  recom- 
mended the  principles  and  resolutions  which  follow.  (See  Principles 
and  Resolutions,  p.  6. 

The  writer  is  in  full  accord  with  the  patriotic  spirit  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  resolutions  set  forth  by  the  distinguished  representatives 
of  the  institutions  in  conference,  and  it  is  with  the  purpose  of  pre- 
senting a  definite  plan  by  which  the  general  object  in  view  in  them 
may  be  effected  that  this  paper  is  written.  This  general  object,  as 
I  understand  it,  is  that  the  country  be  best  served  for  the  present  by 
college-trained  men  and  women,  and  have  college-trained  men  and 
women  ready  to  serve  it  in  the  future. 

Any  plan  of  change  in  curricula  or  anything  else  which  involves 
disturbing  more  than  is  necessary  the  continuity  of  the  supply  is 
harmful.  It  seems  to  me  that  in  the  principles  and  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  representatives  of  colleges  and  universities  at  the  con- 
ference there  has  been  too  much  of  the  emphasis,  on  account  of  their 
commendable  enthusiasm  and  patriotism,  placed  upon  the  need  of 
aiding  the  Government  immediately  with  their  resources  in  students 
and  equipment,  and  that  too  little  of  the  emphasis  has  been  placed 
upon  thus  aiding  the  country  in  the  future,  preserving  the  useful- 
ness of  the  colleges  and  universities  in  their  special  services,  and 
protecting  as  far  as  possible  the  highest  interests  of  the  college  men 
who  return  from  the  war. 

It  is  generally  acknowledged  that  "students  pursuing  technical 
courses,  such  as  medicine,  agriculture,  and  engineering,  are  render- 
ing or  are  going  to  render,  through  the  continuance  of  their  training, 
services  more  valuable  and  efficient  than  if  they  were  to  enroll  in 
military  or  naval  service  at  once."  The  exigencies  of  war,  however, 
are  showing  day  by  day  that  specially  trained  men  and  women  are 
needed  in  almost  every  field  of  usefulness  and  that  what  is  true  of 
medicine,  agriculture,  and  engineering,  is  equally  true  of  archi- 
tecture, chemistry,  biology,  geology,  geography,  hygiene,  sanitation, 
home  economics,  telegraphy,  stenography,  accounting,  economics, 
business  administration,  mathematics,  English,  and  other  modern 
languages,  and  so  on  through  almost  the  entire  category  of  college 


1 


studies.  There  is  needed  a  plan  for  organizing  the  resources  in 
students  and  equipment  as  well  as  the  curricula  of  the  colleges  and 
universities  of  the  United  States  so  as  (1)  to  supply  from  year  to 
year  the  Government  continuously  with  college  graduates  specially 
trained  for  the  various  fields  in  which  their  services  are  needed;  (2) 
to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  colleges  and  universities  in  their 
special  fields  of  usefulness;  (3)  to  conserve  the  interests  of  the  youth 
of  the  country  as  furthered  by  a  college  education  and  its  diploma. 

1.  It  is  suggested,  therefore,  that  the  Government  prepare  a 
list  of  the  specific  services — military,  naval,  and  civil,  including 
executive  and  administrative  fields,  for  which  it  has  need  of  college 
graduates  especially  trained  for  the  work.  That  these  lists  be  sent 
by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  the  presidents  and  deans  of 
technical  schools  and  graduate  schools,  colleges  of  arts  and  sciences 
of  universities,  and  colleges  of  arts  and  sciences  in  general,  and  that 
they  be  accompanied  by  questionnaires  to  the  following  effect: 

To  technical  schools  and  graduate  schools: 

(a)  In  what  branches  printed  in  the  accompanying  list  are  you 
best  equipped  to  graduate  students  in  1918  prepared  to  render  use- 
ful and  immediate  service  to  the  National  Government? 

(6)  How  many  members  of  your  present  senior  class  will 
volunteer  for  this  service? 

(c)    How  many  members  of  your  present  junior  class  will 
volunteer  to  be  trained  for  such  service  in  1919? 
(In  each  case  on  the  conditions  which  follow) : 

1.  That  they  may  be  exempted  from  possible  draft  until  after 
graduation. 

2.  That  on  graduation,  after  being  recommended  by  their  col- 
lege and  passing  the  usual  physical  examination,  they  receive  com- 
missions or  appointments  on  full  pay  with  the  Government. 

3.  That  the  indorsement  of  the  president  of  the  college  and  of 
the  head  of  the  department  serve  in  lieu  of  further  educational  tests. 

To  colleges  of  arts  and  sciences  of  universities: 

(a)  In  what  branches  printed  in  the  accompanying  list  are  you 
best  equipped  to  graduate  students  in  1918  prepared  to  render  use- 
ful and  immediate  service  to  the  National  Government? 

(6)  How  many  members  of  your  present  senior  class  will  vol- 
unteer for  this  service? 

(c)  In  what  branches  printed  in  the  accompanying  list  are  you 
best  equipped  to  graduate  students  prepared  after  two  years' 
technical  or  special  training  in  the  schools  of  the  university  to  render 
useful  and  immediate   service  to  the  National   Government?  This 


2 


should  involve  in  some  instances  accrediting  these  technical  and 
special  subjects  towards  the  regular  baccalaureate  degrees,  tem- 
porarily at  least. 

(d)  How  many  members  of  your  present  junior  class  will 
volunteer  to  be  trained  for  such  service? 

(In  each  case  on  the  conditions  which  follow) : 

1.  That  they  be  exempted  from  possible  draft  until  after 
graduation. 

2.  That  on  graduation,  after  being  recommended  by  their  col- 
lege and  passing  the  usual  physical  examination,  they  receive  com- 
missions or  appointments  on  full  pay  with  the  Government. 

3.  That  the  indorsement  of  the  president  of  the  college  and  of 
the  head  of  the  department  serve  in  lieu  of  further  educational  tests. 

To  colleges  of  arts  and  sciences  in  general: 

(a)  In  what  branches  printed  in  the  accompanying  list  are 
you  best  equipped  to  graduate  students  in  1918  prepared  to  render 
useful  and  immediate  service  to  the  National  Government? 

(b)  How  many  members  of  your  present  senior  class  will  vol- 
unteer for  this  service? 

(c)  If  called  on  to  alter  the  curricula  of  your  junior  and  senior 
years  by  the  substitution  of  technical  and  special  courses  for  a  cer- 
tain number  of  students,  in  what  branches  printed  in  the  accompany- 
ing list  will  you  be  best  equipped  to  graduate  students  in  1919  pre- 
pared to  render  useful  and  immediate  service  to  the  National  Gov- 
ernment? This  should  involve  in  some  instances  accrediting  these 
technical  and  special  subjects  towards  the  regular  baccalaureate 
degrees,  temporarily  at  least. 

(d)  How  many  members  of  your  present  junior  class  will 
volunteer  to  be  trained  for  such  service? 

(In  each  case  on  the  conditions  which  follow) : 

1.  That  they  be  exempted  from  possible  draft  until  after 
graduation. 

2.  That  on  graduation,  after  being  recommended  by  their  col- 
lege and  passing  the  usual  physical  examination,  they  receive  com- 
missions or  appointments  on  full  pay  with  the  Government. 

3.  That  the  indorsement  of  the  president  of  the  college  and  of 
the  head  of  the  department  serve  in  lieu  of  further  educational  tests. 

It  is  further  suggested  that  the  Commissioner  of  Education  collate 
the  material  received  in  reply  and  revise  it  according  to  any  further 
information  that  may  be  thought  advisable,  and  prepare  from  it  a 
list  of  the  colleges  ready  to  train  students  for  special  services  to  the 
Government,  and  a  list  of  the  number  of  graduates  that  will  be  avail- 
able for  the  Government  service  in  1918-1919. 


3 


Further,  that  the  Government  compare  this  list  with  the  number 
of  men  needed  for  these  special  services  and  assign  a  definite  num- 
ber of  students  to  be  specially  trained  in  the  institutions  selected  for 
this  purpose. 

In  case  the  supply  in  any  particular  instance  does  not  meet  the 
demand,  that  the  Government  call  on  the  colleges  and  universities 
best  prepared  to  train  men  for  this  particular  need,  and  in  certain 
cases  perhaps  to  subsidize  them. 

This  plan,  it  seems  to  me,  offers  the  advantages  which  follow- 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  definite,  and  even  granting  that  it  require 
modification  and  adjustment  in  the  course  of  events,  may  be  applied 
to  the  solution  of  a  serious  problem  in  the  administration  of  the 
country  that  has  apparently  not  yet  been  satisfactorily  solved. 

In  the  second  place,  by  this  plan  the  Government  will  have 
within  reach  all  the  available  college  graduates  specifically  trained 
for  specific  purposes  and  needs. 

In  the  third  place,  the  colleges  and  universities  will  be  render- 
ing service  to  the  National  Government  in  the  fields  in  which  they 
are  best  equipped  and  will  not,  as  has  frequently  happened,  spend 
their  energies  in  diffusive,  ill-directed,  and  ineffective  efforts,  to  the 
hindrance  of  their  usefulness. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  continuance  of  the  supply  of  college 
graduates  will  be  unbroken,  and  the  future  college-trained  service  of 
the  Government  assured. 

In  the  fifth  place,  the  college  men  who  return  from  the  war  will 
have  received  the  usual  certificate  of  their  education  and  will  not  be 
compelled  either  to  abandon  their  college  career  or  to  continue  it 
under  less  advantageous  circumstances. 

Putting  the  plan  into  effect,  in  the  co-ordination  of  different  ele- 
ments, naturally  involves  a  few  mutual  concessions  (o)  by  the 
National  Government;  (b)  by  colleges  and  universities  of  America; 
(c)  by  the  college  students  of  America. 

In  regard  to  the  concessions  of  the  National  Government  by 
means  of  which  the  plan  suggested  may  become  feasible  as  far  as  it 
is  concerned,  it  will  be  necessary  for  the  War  Department  to  grant 
exemption  from  the  draft  in  certain  cases  for  a  period  extending 
from  a  few  months  to  about  one  year  to  college  students  who  are 
being  specially  trained  for  national  service.  This  in  most  instances 
will  be  the  maximum  period  of  exemption,  according  to  the  draft 
regulations  now  in  force,  since  the  average  age  of  young  men  on 
admission  to  college  is  eighteen  years.  The  Government  must  also 
concede  its  prerogative  of  an  educational  test  as  far  as  concerns 
these  students.  Both  concessions,  however,  are  small.  The  brief 
exemption  from  the  draft  of  a  comparatively  small  number  of  men 


4 


in  college  will  not  seriously  affect  the  condition  of  the  national  army, 
and  the  waiving  by  the  Government  of  an  educational  examination 
of  college  graduates  who  have  been  thus  examined  and  indorsed  by 
its  recognized  institutions  of  learning  is  a  matter  of  minor  impor- 
tance. The  advantage  of  securing  expert  service  will  outweigh  the 
importance  of  the  concessions. 

In  regard  to  the  concessions  that  must  be  made  by  colleges  and 
universities  for  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  methods  pro- 
posed in  this  paper,  they  must  in  some  instances,  for  a  time  at  least, 
set  aside  the  required  studies  of  their  curricula,  as  well  as  credit 
technical  and  special  subjects,  vocational  and  industrial,  towards 
their  regular  A.  B.  and  S.  B.  degrees.  Since  the  substitutions,  how- 
ever, will  be  those  of  their  own  selection  from  their  own  specialized 
curricula,  and  only  temporary,  few  institutions,  in  my  judgment,  will 
offer  objections  in  the  face  of  the  emergency. 

It  would  of  course  be  unjust  to  students  candidates  for  the  bac- 
calaureate degrees  in  arts  and  sciences  who  voluntarily  alter  their 
courses  of  studies  in  order  to  serve  their  country  to  confer  on  them 
other  degrees  than  those  they  originally  sought. 

The  college  students,  also,  must  make  concessions  in  order  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  plan,  but  since  their  concession  consists 
in  giving  up  certain  studies  of  their  own  choice  and  pursuing  others 
for  the  benefit  of  their  country  in  a  crisis,  few  will  decline,  for  this 
reason  only,  to  make  a  change,  especially  since  their  refusal  may 
mean  for  them  the  loss  of  the  opportunity  of  continuing  in  college 
and  of  securing  a  degree.  Furthermore,  that  men  of  their  character 
who  return  from  the  war  will  find  the  opportunity  to  complete  their 
studies  in  their  chosen  fields  may  be  confidently  expected  by  both  col- 
leges and  students. 


5 


PRINCIPLES  AND  RESOLUTIONS 
Adopted  by  the  conference  held  in  Continental  Hall  on 
May  6,  1917. 

"It  is  our  judgment  that  our  colleges  and  universities  should 
so  organize  their  work  that  in  all  directions  they  may  be  of  the 
greatest  possible  usefulness  to  the  country  in  its  present  crisis. 

"We  therefore  believe,  first,  that  all  young  men  below  the  age 
of  liability  to  the  selective  draft  and  those  not  recommended 
for  special  service,  who  can  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity 
offered  by  our  colleges,  should  be  urged  so  to  do  in  order  that 
they  may  be  able  to  render  the  most  effective  service,  both 
during  the  full  period  of  the  war  and  in  the  trying  times  which 
will  follow  its  close. 

"We  believe,  second,  that  all  colleges  and  universities  should 
so  modify  their  calendars  and  curricula  as  will  most  fully  sub- 
serve the  present  needs  of  the  nation  and  utilize  most  profitably 
the  time  of  the  students  and  the  institutional  plant,  force,  and 
equipment.  With  this  end  in  view,  we  suggest  that,  as  an  emer- 
gency measure,  the  colleges  consider  the  advisability  of  dividing 
the  college  year  into  four  quarters  of  approximately  twelve 
weeks  each,  and  that,  where  necessary,  courses  be  repeated  at 
least  once  a  year  so  that  the  college  course  may  be  best  adapted 
to  the  needs  of  food  production. 

"We  believe,  third,  that  in  view  of  the  supreme  importance 
of  applied  science  in  the  present  war,  students  pursuing  tech- 
nical courses,  such  as  medicine,  agriculture,  and  engineering, 
are  rendering,  or  are  to  render,  through  the  continuance  of  their 
training,  services  more  valuable  and  efficient  than  if  they  were 
to  enroll  in  military  or  naval  service  at  once. 

"We  believe,  fourth,  that  the  Government  should  provide  or 
encourage  military  training  for  all  young  men  in  college  by 
retired  officers  of  the  Army  and  National  Guard  or  by  other 
persons  competent  to  give  military  instruction,  and  that  the 
colleges  should  include  as  a  part  of  their  course  of  study,  teach- 
ing in  military  science,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
national  defense  act  of  June,  1916. 

"We  believe,  fifth,  that  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  and  the  States  Relation  Service  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  with  the  co-operation  of  the 
Committee  on  Science,  Engineering,  and  Education  of  the 
Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  should 
be  the  medium  of  communication  between  the  Federal  depart- 
ments and  the  higher  educational  institutions  of  the  country. 

"Finally,  we  believe  that  an  educational  responsibility  rests 
on  the  institutions  of  higher  learning  to  disseminate  correct 
information  concerning  the  issues  involved  in  the  war  and  to 
interpret  its  meaning." 

RESOLUTIONS  RECOMMENDED  FOR  ADOPTION. 
I.    "Resolved,  That  we  request  the  Advisory  Commission  to 
recommend  to  the  Council  of  National  Defense  that  it  approve 
the  plan  of  developing  and  issuing  at  once  through  the  Bureau 
of  Education  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and  the  States 


6 


Relations  Service  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  with  the 
advice  of  the  education  section  of  the  Committee  on  Science, 
Engineering,  and  Education  of  the  Advisory  Commission  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense,  a  statement  of  a  comprehensive 
policy  of  co-operation  between  the  Government  and  the  universi- 
ties, colleges  and  other  schools  which  will  make  for  the  most 
effective  use  of  these  institutions  throughout  the  duration  of 
the  war.  The  statement  should  be  accompanied  by  suggestions 
to  be  as  explicit  as  possible  in  regard  to — 

1.  "The  plans  of  the  Government  in  all  its  departments  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  war,  so  far  as  they  concern  the  colleges 
and  universities. 

2.  "The  best  methods  developed  by  the  educational  institu- 
tions of  the  allied  countries  to  meet  war  conditions. 

3.  "The  ways  in  which  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
country  can  best  organize  to  fulfill  the  needs  of  the  Government. 

II.  "Resolved,  That  we  request  the  Advisory  Commission  to 
recommend  to  the  Council  of  National  Defense  that  it  approve 
a  plan  whereby  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  shall,  after  consultation  with  Federal  departments 
and  educational  officers  throughout  the  country,  keep  the  edu- 
cational institutions  informed  of  the  needs  for  technical,  mili- 
tary, and  general  training  which  the  schools  and  colleges  may 
wisely  undertake  to  fulfill  and  that  the  States  Relations  Service 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  take  similar  action  as  regards 
agricultural  needs.  Both  these  actions  to  be  taken  in  consulta- 
tion with  the  education  section  of  the  Committee  on  Science, 
Engineering,  and  Education. 

III.  "Resolved,  That  we  request  the  Advisory  Commission  to 
recommend  to  the  Council  of  National  Defense  that  it  request 
the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and 
the  States  Relations  Service  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
to  bring  together  from  time  to  time,  as  may  seem  expedient, 
groups  of  educational  officers  with  the  Committee  on  Education 
of  the  Advisory  Commission  for  the  consideration  of  the  best 
methods  of  maintaining,  adjusting,  and  strengthening  the  edu- 
cational system  of  the  country  in  order  to  meet  the  emergencies 
of  the  war  and  to  plan  for  the  period  following  the  war. 

IV.  "Resolved,  That  nothing  in  these  resolutions  shall  be 
construed  as  advising  any  change  in  the  legal  or  administra- 
tive relations  existing  between  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
and  the  agricultural  colleges." 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/plansuggestedforOOpatt 


Letters  of  inquiry  were  sent  to  the  presidents  of  Ken- 
tucky colleges  asking  them  in  what  branches  their  colleges 
would  be  ready  to  give  useful  and  immediate  service  to  the 
National  Government.    The  replies  follow: 


BEREA  COLLEGE. 
Berea,  Ky. 

February  4,  1918. 

In  reference  to  your  letter  of  January  30th,  inquiring  for  infor- 
mation with  reference  to  graduate  students  in  1919,  who  would  be 
fit  and  prepared  to  render  useful  service  to  the  Government,  permit 
me  to  say  that  we  should  have  students  fit  for  this  work  in  agricul- 
ture, canning  and  allied  work,  stenography  and  typewriting,  and  con- 
servation promotion. 

I  am  interested  in  the  paper  which  you  are  preparing  and  expect 
to  hear  it  at  the  Educational  Association.  Very  sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)    C.  F.  RUMOLD,  Vice  President. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  KENTUCKY. 
Lexington,  Ky. 

February  6,  1918. 
In  reply  to  your  circular  letter  I  am  saying  that  the  University 
is  preparing  to  graduate  students  in  1919  along  the  following  useful 
lines: 

(1)  Military  service,  associated  principally  with  the  radio  buzzer 
instruction. 

(2)  Men  in  chemistry. 

(3)  Engineers  in  mechanical  and  electrical  engineering. 

(4)  Men  in  agriculture. 

Students  graduated  in  these  fields  now  are  being  taken  into  vari- 
ous governmental  capacities.    Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)    FRANK  L.  McVEY,  President. 

THE  CENTRE  COLLEGE. 
Danville,  Ky. 

February  9,  1918. 

Replying  to  your  letter  of  January  30,  will  say  that  the  gradu- 
ates of  Centre  College  upon  date  of  graduation  may  be  very  well 
prepared  to  render  service  as  teachers  in  the  high  schools  in  the 
subjects  which  they  have  made  their  major  in  college,  and  that 
students  who  have  selected  proper  courses  are  well  prepared  to 
accept  positions  and  render  valuable  service  in  industrial  chemistry. 

We  are  developing  some  courses  along  lines  of  commerce  and 
diplomacy,  and  in  future,  graduates  of  this  college  will  have  quite 
thorough  preparation  for  service  in  this  field.  Of  course,  our  students 
pursue  the  usual  college  work  in  other  departments  where  they  have 
very  thorough  preparation  for  the  advanced  graduate  or  professional 
courses  to  be  studied  in  other  schools. 

Trusting  this  information  may  be  of  service,  I  am  very  sincerely 
yours, 

(Signed)    W.  A.  GANFIELD,  President. 


10 


KENTUCKY  WESLEY  AN  COLLEGE. 
Winchester,  Ky. 

February  19,  1918. 
Kentucky  Wesleyan  College  can  furnish  chemists,  biologists  and 
men  and  women  to  translate  and  speak  French  and  German.    In  this 
way  Wesleyan  graduates  may  serve  the  Government.  Respectfully, 

(Signed)    J.  L.  CLARK,  President. 

GEORGETOWN  COLLEGE. 
Georgetown,  Ky. 

February  20,  1918. 

This  is  my  first  opportunity  to  fully  answer  your  inquiry  of 
January  30th.  Georgetown  College  does  not  attempt  a3  a  primary 
aim  to  graduate  men  and  women  immediately  into  specific  employ- 
ment, though  many  of  them  do  enter  such  employment  at  once  after 
graduation.  We  endeavor  to  graduate  our  students  and  prepare  them 
thoroughly  for  graduate  work  in  the  various  professions  and  callings. 
We  strongly  urge  them  to  enter  graduate  schools.  We  do  not  send 
out  physicians,  but  do  send  students  to  graduate  schools  of  medicine. 
We  are  always  represented  at  Johns  Hopkins  by  several  men.  I 
mention  this  to  indicate  our  position  in  the  educational  system.  We 
do  not  promote  the  plan  to  bring  professional  studies  within  the 
range  of  a  four-year  course  leading  to  such  degrees  as  the  various 
vocational  and  specialized  B.  S.  degrees.  We  offer  a  major  in  the 
various  departments  in  the  junior  and  senior  years,  but  this  is  prepar- 
atory to  specialized  work. 

We  can  graduate  in  1919  students  who  can  speak  and  translate 
German  and  French  and  students  who  could  do  fairly  good  work  in 
the  translation  of  Spanish.  We  have  special  courses  in  conversational 
French  for  drafted  men.  Students  who  have  had  three  or  four  years 
of  physics  at  once  enter  Government  employment,  though  most  of 
them  would  be  sent  to  short-term  finishing  schools  for  special  training 
in  radio,  wireless  and  other  electrical  work.  We  have  several  men 
now  being  prepared  for  war  service.  We  are  giving  courses  in  teleg- 
raphy, which  will  equip  men  for  signal  work  in  the  army.  We  can 
also  give  training  in  wireless,  if  the  Government  will  let  us  use  our 
wireless  outfit.  We  are  teaching  photography  as  one  of  the  higher 
branches  of  physics  and  men  who  can  finish  this  course  can  enter  the 
photo  course  of  military  aeronautics.  We  give  four  undergraduate 
years  of  chemistry  and  we  have  sent  several  chemists  into  profitable 
employment.  We  have  three  years  of  biology,  and  students  with  these 
courses  secure  positions  in  hospital  work  with  a  short  period  of 
Government  training.  We  have  a  number  of  home  economics  gradu- 
ates who  can  teach  this  subject.  Many  of  our  graduates  are  now 
officers  in  the  army  with  appropriate  pay.  Others  entered  the  army 
as  privates  and  are  now  non-commissioned  officers.  We  are  giving 
stenography  and  typewriting  from  which  students  can  go  to  appro- 


11 


priate  occupations.  We  can  furnish  men  with  general  training  in 
mechanical  drawing,  men  with  ability  as  dramatic  entertainers,  teach- 
ers, and  chaplains. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  have  given  you  the  information  you  want 
or  not.  If  this  is  not  put  in  the  right  shape,  write  me  and  I  will  try  it 
again.  One  of  our  graduates  is  receiving  a  good  salary  in  the 
meteorological  work  of  the  army.   He  majored  in  physics. 

Yours  sincerely, 

(Signed)    M.  B.  ADAMS,  President. 

TRANSYLVANIA  COLLEGE. 
Lexington,  Ky. 

April  16,  1918. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiry  shall  say  that  Transylvania  College  is 
not  offering  technical  and  professional  courses  except  in  the  fields  of 
education  and  religion.  However,  we  are  offering  pre-vocational 
courses  looking  toward  law,  medicine,  engineering,  and  agriculture. 
We  are  doing  a  definite  piece  of  work  in  education  which  has  proved 
helpful  to  our  students  who  have  gone  into  the  service.  Also  the 
instruction  in  the  department  of  psychology  has  been  quite  useful  to 
students  who  have  entered  that  branch  of  the  service.  In  science  we 
have  trained  some  men  who  have  taken  positions  in  the  chemical 
and  physical  departments  of  hospitals.  One  of  our  men  is  doing  quite 
satisfactory  work  in  X-ray  photography.  The  military  instruction 
we  give  has  been  of  great  value,  insomuch  as  a  large  group  of  our 
students  have  gone  to  the  officers'  reserve  training  camps,  and  have 
received  commissions. 

Hoping  that  the  higher  education  section  of  the  K.  E.  A.  will 
prove  of  great  value,  and  thanking  you  for  your  participation  in  this 
program,  I  am  cordially  yours, 

(Signed)    It.  H.  CROSSFIELD,  President. 

The  University  of  Louisville  is  prepared  to  graduate 
men  ready  for  immediate  service  to  the  Government  in  the 
following  branches: 

(1)  Medicine;  (2)  law;  (3)  chemistry;  (4)  biology;  (5)  various 
branches  of  physics;  (6)  bacteriology  and  sanitation;  (7)  mechanical 
and  architectural  drawing;  (8)  stenography  and  typewriting;  (9) 
testing  of  materials  and  supplies;  (10)  applied  mathematics;  (11) 
modern  languages. 


12 


CORRESPONDENCE,  EDITORIALS, 
AND  COMMENTS 


ADVISORY  COMMISSION  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  NATIONAL 

DEFENSE. 
327  Munsey  Building,  Washington,  D.  C. 

February  6,  1918. 
Please  accept  my  thanks  and  appreciation  for  your  letter  of 
February  1st,  submitting  plan  for  the  organization  of  colleges  and 
universities  which  I  have  read  with  interest.  I  have  turned  your 
letter  and  plan  over  to  Dr.  Samuel  P.  Capen,  specialist  in  higher  edu- 
cation, Bureau  of  Education,  Washington,  D.  C,  who  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  my  committee  and  you  will  no  doubt  hear  from  him  further 
concerning  this  matter.    Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)    HOLLIS  GODFREY. 

EN  ROUTE  WEST 
"20th  Century" 

February  8,  1918. 
I  beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  yours  of  January  29th,  with  a 
specific  plan  for  inducing  the  Government  to  co-operate  with  the 
colleges  and  universities  in  preparing  students  for  specific,  technical 
service. 

Nothing  will  be  accomplished  in  this  field  without  some  such 
definite  plan,  and  yours  is  certainly  ingenious  and  surmounts  many 
difficulties.  In  order  to  make  it  work,  however,  it  must  encounter 
some  rocks  and  jolts,  which  I  will  here  mention. 

1.  Is  there  evidence  that  any  department  of  the  Government 
or  any  combination  of  parallel  committees  have  definitely  faced  the 
problems  of  the  fields  and  number  of  technical  jobs  and  the  methods 
of  reaching  into  the  ramifications  of  the  service? 

2.  Can  the  Government  be  brought  to  recognize  preparation  for 
technical  service  as  on  a  par  with  medical  service  as  a  reason  for 
exemption  for  draft? 

3.  Will  the  Government  pledge  itself  to  assign  commissions  or 
appointments  on  full  pay  upon  the  certificates  of  the  colleges  without 
interposing  tests  of  their  own?  This  seems  to  me  the  least  unlikely 
of  your  propositions.  It  is  practically  certain  that  they  will,  in  all 
cases,  insist  on  their  own  physical  examination,  even  in  cases  where 
the  examiner  may  be  a  Government  official,  assigned  to  college  work. 

One  of  the  good  things  about  your  plan  is  that  it  is  a  plan  of  a 
definite  method  of  breaking  the  deadlock  and  bringing  about  a  state' 
of  preparation  highly  important  to  the  Government  and  reassuring 
higher  education.  I  am  sending  this  plan  on  to  Prof.  McElroy  with 
the  other  document.    Cordially  yours, 

(Signed)    A.  B.  HART. 


14 


TWENTIETH  CENTURY  LIMITED. 

February  8,  1918. 
Beg  to  acknowledge  yours  of  February  1st,  including  a  plan  of 
organization  for  the  colleges  in  this  time  of  patriotic  need.  Tho 
problem  is  one  to  which  the  authorities  of  the  National  Security 
League  are  now  applying  themselves  with  diligence,  and  your  sug- 
gestions will  be  very  helpful  in  its  zeal  to  utilize  the  man  power  of 
the  nation.  The  American  people  are  forgetting  that  unless  that 
man  power  is  kept  up  we  shall  [face]  defeat  in  war  and  deteriora- 
tion in  peace. 

I  am  forwarding  your  communication  to  Prof.  McElroy,  who 
is  the  Educational  Director  of  the  League,  and  asking  him  whether 
these  suggestions  can  not  be  discussed  at  the  coming  Congress  of 
Patriotism  which  the  league  has  called  at  Chicago,  two  weeks  hence. 
Our  experience  is  that  the  Government  organizations  are  slow  in 
handling  specific  recommendations,  and  particularly  in  developing  and 
using  lists  of  the  available  men. 

I  think,  therefore,  that  there  is  more  chance  of  putting  a  plan 
like  yours  into  operation  through  one  of  the  unofficial  organizations. 

You  may  expect  to  hear  from  Prof.  McElroy  shortly.  Sincerely 
yours,  (Signed)    ALBERT  BUSHNELL  HART. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
Bureau  of  Education,  Washington. 

February  14,  1918. 

Dr.  Godfrey,  of  the  Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defense  has  referred  to  me  for  comment  and  reply  to  your 
letter  of  February  1st,  with  the  accompanying  memorandum. 

I  am  greatly  interested  in  the  plan  that  you  outline.  Some 
of  the  ends  which  you  seek  have  been  prominent  in  the  minds  of 
various  boards  and  committees  which  have  been  considering  this 
problem  for  some  time.  Two  very  recently  created  bodies  which 
may  concern  themselves  with  the  matters  that  you  mention  may  be 
of  interest  to  you.  In  the  latter  part  of  January  an  emergency 
council  on  education,  representing  the  principal  higher  educational 
associations  met  for  several  days  in  Washington  and  voted  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  council  representing  these  same  associations  as 
soon  as  the  ratification  of  their  action  by  these  associations  could 
be  had.  This  council  proposes  to  urge  upon  the  War  Department  the 
value  of  college  trained  men  in  various  lines  and  to  suggest  feasible 
means  for  allowing  them  to  pursue  their  training  until  graduation. 
It  also  hopes  to  place  all  the  resources  of  the  higher  institutions  more 
directly  at  the  service  of  the  Government. 

The  other  body  to  which  I  refer  is  the  Committee  on  Education 
and  Special  Training  in  the  War  Department.  This  is  a  board 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  consisting  of  officers  of  the 


15 


General  Staff,  Adjutant  General's  office,  and  Provost  Marshal  Gen- 
eral's office.  It  has  associated  with  it  an  advisory  board  of  three 
civilians  and  two  ex-officio  representatives  of  Government  offices. 
The  purpose  of  the  board  is  to  organize  and  direct  all  the  education 
and  technical  training  especially  needed  for  the  military  service. 
Kventually,  no  doubt,  it  will  also  direct  its  attention  to  the  effect 
of  the  draft  on  collegiate  establishments  which  are  called  upon  to 
furnish  certain  types  of  highly  trained  men. 

I  happen  to  be  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  this  committee 
and  I  shall  try,  when  occasion  presents  itself,  to  call  to  the  attention 
of  the  board  some  of  the  principles  which  you  emphasize.  Sincerely 
yours,  (Signed)    S.  P.  CAPEN. 

Specialist  in  Higher  Education. 

EMERGENCY  COUNCIL  ON  EDUCATION. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

April  12,  1918. 

In  the  absence  of  President  Campbell,  your  letter  of  April  4th 
has  come  to  me.  I  have  glanced  over  with  interest  the  proposals 
you  submit  in  regard  to  the  matter  of  training  men  for  various 
branches  of  Government  service.  I  shall  be  very  glad  in  due  time 
to  study  the  document  carefully,  and  will  write  you  later  concerning 
any  points  I  may  have  in  mind.   Very  sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)    DONALD  J.  COWLING. 

Dictated  by  President  Cowling  and  signed  by  his  direction  in  his 
absence. 

EMERGENCY  COUNCIL  ON  EDUCATION. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

May  9,  1918. 

Before  leaving  the  city  Dr.  Cowling  called  my  attention  to  your 
letters  of  recent  date  with  the  request  that  I  bring  them  to  the 
attention  of  Dr.  Capen  and  others,  and  also  present  them  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Emergency  Council,  to  be  held  in  Philadelphia,  on  Friday, 
May  17th. 

Permit  me  to  say  that  the  plan  which  you  have  outlined  in  your 
paper  looking  toward  immediate  and  efficient  action  by  the  War 
Department  in  handling  the  college  situation  seems  to  be  an  excellent 
one.  I  am  not  sure  but  that  the  recent  action  of  the  Committee  on  Edu- 
cation and  Special  Training  of  the  War  Department  in  authorizing 
cadet  corps  in  the  colleges  and  universities,  with  provision  for  fur- 
loughing  the  men  up  to  the  time  of  graduation,  takes  care  of  the 
basic  part  of  your  plan  in  assuring  a  sufficient  number  of  students  in 
the  educational  institutions  to  provide  for  the  future  needs  of  the 
department.  I  am  told  by  Dr.  Capen,  a  member  of  the  Committee 
on  Education  and  Special  Training,  that  it  is  at  present  the  plan 
of  the  committee  to  take  the  additional  step  of  trying  to  ascertain  just 


16 


how  many  men  may  be  needed  in  each  department  of  the  service 
and  how  they  may  be  best  distributed  among  the  colleges.  If  this  is 
done,  then  I  think  the  essential  features  of  your  plan  will  probably 
have  been  put  into  actual  effect. 

If  there  are  any  additional  suggestions  which  you  would  desire  to 
make  to  the  meeting  of  the  Emergency  Council  at  Philadelphia,  on 
May  17th,  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  you.   Very  sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)    P.  L.  CAMPBELL,  Secretary-Treasurer. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 
Bureau  of  Education,  Washington. 

May  21,  1918. 

Mr.  Tumulty  has  referred  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  your  letter 
of  May  9th  enclosing  an  editorial  concerning  your  plan  for  the 
organization  of  colleges  and  universities. 

You  will,  I  am  sure,  be  interested  in  the  order  recently  authorized 
by  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  establishment  of  military  training 
units  in  all  colleges  that  can  muster  a  hundred  men,  and  the  arrange- 
ments which  are  now  being  worked  out  for  the  administration  of  this 
system  by  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training  of  the 
War  Department.  We  will  try  to  see  that  you  are  posted  as  soon 
as  the  regulations  are  completed.    Sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)    S.  P.  CAPEN, 
Specialist  in  Higher  Education. 

EMERGENCY  COUNCIL  ON  EDUCATION. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

May  27,  1918. 

Replying  to  your  inquiry  of  May  22d,  permit  me  to  say  that 
attention  was  called  at  the  meeting  of  the  Emergency  Council  on 
Education  at  Philadelphia  to  your  communications  containing  the 
plans  which  you  had  suggested  and  which  in  the  main  were  embodied 
in  the  plans  outlined  and  announced  by  the  Committee  on  Education 
and  Special  Training  of  the  War  Department. 

I  called  to  the  attention  of  Dr.  Capen,  a  member  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Education  and  Special  Training,  the  fact  that  you  had  specifi- 
cally suggested  that  steps  be  taken  to  ascertain  in  advance  the  number 
of  men  which  might  be  needed  in  various  lines  of  war  service,  so  that 
provision  could  be  made  in  full  time  for  their  being  available.  He 
told  me  that  one  phase  of  the  committee's  plans  looked  to  making 
just  such  an  inquiry  and  subsequent  selection.  I  hope  very  much  that 
the  matter  will  now  proceed  satisfactorily  along  the  lines  which  have 
been  indicated,  and  that  as  a  result  both  the  colleges  and  the  Govern- 
ment will  have  their  interests  fully  served. 

Thanking  you  again  for  your  interest  in  this  whole  matter  and 
for  your  valuable  contribution  to  the  formulation  of  plans,  I  remain 
yours  very  truly,  (Signed)    P.  L.  CAMPBELL. 


17 


A  PLAN  FOR  GOVERNMENT  SERVICE. 

(The  Nation,  May  4,  1918.) 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Nation: 

Sir — Educators  are  deeply  interested  in  discovering  how  the 
country  may  be  best  served  during  the  war  by  college-trained  men 
and  women  and  at  the  same  time  may  have  college  graduates  ready 
to  serve  it  in  the  future.  Any  plan  that  involves  disturbing  more 
than  is  necessary  the  continuity  of  the  supply  is  harmful.  The  plan 
to  be  adopted  for  colleges  and  universities  should  include:  (1)  aiding 
the  Government  immediately  and  in  the  future  with  resources  in 
students  and  equipment;  (2)  preserving  the  usefulness  of  colleges  in 
their  special  fields;  (3)  protecting  as  far  as  possible  the  highest  inter- 
ests of  the  college  men  who  return  from  the  war. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  Government  ascertain  by  means  of  a 
questionnaire  how  many  men  from  the  junior  and  senior  classes  of 
each  college  will  volunteer  to  be  trained  for  the  specific  services, 
military,  naval  and  civil,  for  which  the  Government  states  its  need 
for  college-trained  men.  These  volunteers  are  to  be  exempted  from 
possible  draft  until  after  graduation,  and  are  then  to  receive,  on 
recommendation  by  the  college  authorities  and  after  passing  the  usual 
physical  examination,  appointments  on  full  pay  with  the  Government. 
The  Commissioner  of  Education  should  (1)  collate  the  material  re- 
ceived in  reply,  and  (2)  apportion  the  number  of  students  needed  in 
various  fields  among  the  colleges  according  to  their  provisions  for 
giving  specific  training. 

The  advantages  of  such  a  plan  are:  (1)  it  is  definite,  with  suf- 
ficient allowance  for  modification;  (2)  it  makes  available  to  the 
Government  now  and  in  the  future  all  specifically  trained  college  men; 
(3)  it  offers  an  opportunity  for  colleges  to  serve  the  Government  in 
the  fields  in  which  they  are  best  equipped;  (4)  it  makes  it  possible  for 
college  students  to  receive  the  usual  certificate  of  education  rather 
than  to  abandon  college  work  nearly  completed. 

Putting  such  a  plan  into  effect  naturally  involves  a  few  conces- 
sions by  the  Government,  the  colleges,  and  the  students,  which  are 
not,  however,  noteworthy  in  comparison  with  the  advantages  offered. 
The  Government  would  grant  exemption,  for  a  period  usually  not 
exceeding  a  year,  to  certain  students  being  trained  for  special  national 
service,  and  would  employ  these  men  without  further  educational 
tests.  The  advantage  of  securing  expert  service  and  the  opportunity 
of  previously  testing  and  endorsing  the  work  of  the  institutions 
recommending  the  student  would  outweigh  the  importance  of  these 
concessions. 

The  colleges  must  in  some  instances  set  aside  for  a  time  some 
required  studies  of  their  curricula  and  credit  technical  and  industrial 
subjects  toward  the  A.  B.  and  S.  B.  degrees  originally  sought  by  the 


IS 


volunteer  students.  These  temporary  substitutions  from  their  own 
curricula  would  cause  few  institutions  to  refuse  the  benefits  offered. 

The  students  must,  in  turn,  give  up  certain  studies  of  their  choice 
and  pursue  others  for  the  benefit  of  their  country  in  a  crisis.  Few 
would  decline  for  that  reason  alone  to  make  the  change  that  will 
enable  them  to  secure  a  degree,  and  it  may  be  confidently  expected 
that  men  of  their  character  will  on  returning  from  the  war  find  the 
opportunity  to  complete  their  studies  in  their  chosen  fields. 

(Signed)    JOHN  L.  PATTERSON. 

University  of  Louisville,  April  4. 

COLLEGE  WAR  SERVICE. 

(Editorial  from  the  Nation,  May  4,  1918.) 
The  colleges  throughout  the  country  are  giving  special  courses 
to  meet  war  needs.  In  our  correspondence  columns  Dean  Patterson, 
of  the  University  of  Louisville,  outlines  a  plan,  submitted  by  him  in 
full  to  the  Kentucky  Educational  Association  at  its  meeting  last 
week,  for  integrating  the  work  of  the  colleges  with  the  war  needs 
of  the  Government.  Professor  Patterson  would  have  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Education,  by  means  of  a  questionnaire,  determine  just 
what  the  colleges  can  do  during  the  next  two  years  in  graduating 
students  prepared  to  render  immediate  service  to  the  Government. 
He  would  have  the  Government  exempt  from  draft  during  the  period 
of  training  students  taking  such  approved  courses,  and  would  have 
the  colleges  give  credit  towards  their  degrees  for  such  special  work 
as  may  be  needed  to  meet  Government  requirements.  The  Govern- 
ment might  then  make  special  demands  on  the  colleges  to  furnish  this 
training,  possibly  subsidizing  the  institutions. 

Such  a  plan  would  render  immediately  available  to  the  Govern- 
ment the  whole  new  supply  of  college-trained  men  and  women,  and 
would  make  for  better  utilization  of  the  special  capacities  of  the  col- 
leges. They  could  direct  their  work  more  intelligently  to  meet  Gov- 
ernment needs,  at  a  time  when  they  are  all  anxious  to  help  to  the 
limit  of  their  power.  Moreover,  a  somewhat  better  organization  of 
intercollegiate  relations  might  result,  and  a  promotion  of  that  dis- 
tinctiveness so  much  to  be  desired  in  our  college  development.  The 
plan  is  not  without  its  immediate  and  obvious  dangers,  but  its  advan- 
tages are  such  as  to  entitle  it  to  prompt  and  careful  consideration. 
Whatever  is  done  ought  to  be  done  without  delay. 

In  carrying  out  this  or  any  other  related  plan,  the  colleges  must 
not  allow  themselves  to  be  swept  off  their  feet  by  the  present 
exigency.  The  demand  for  immediate  service  is  strongly  and  prop- 
erly felt  everywhere— nowhere  more  strongly  than  in  the  colleges. 
It  is  creditable  to  the  patriotism  of  college  faculties  that  they  are 
striving  earnestly  to  meet  this  demand.  But  it  is  no  less  important 
for  them  to  remember  that  this  is  by  no  means  their  whole  duty. 


19 


Indeed,  if  the  colleges  come  to  think  of  themselves  as  mere  training 
schools  for  Government  work,  they  will  lose  their  largest  opportunity 
to  serve  the  nation. 

Whatever  the  immediate  needs  of  the  Government  in  its  war- 
making  activity,  and  whatever  the  possible  service  of  the  college  in 
meeting  those  needs,  we  can  never  afford  to  lose  sight  of  the  stupen- 
dous tasks  that  will  confront  us  when  the  war  is  done — and  that 
responsibility  rests  peculiarly  on  the  college.  For  the  present,  under 
stress  of  war,  we  may  shut  our  eyes  and  do  as  we  are  told — which 
is  indeed  the  theory  on  which  many  of  us  would  perform  our  tasks 
now.  But  when  the  war  is  over,  we  must  shape  national  policy  by 
the  old  process  of  discussion.  Food  production  and  distribution,  farm 
labor,  tenancy,  extension  of  public  functions  in  the  field  of  manu- 
factures, trade,  and  transportation,  railroad  regulation  or  owner- 
ship, trust  control,  unionism,  socialism,  syndicalism — these  and  a 
hundred  other  domestic  problems  are  going  to  press  insistently  for 
solution.  Superadd  the  infinitely  complex  questions  of  our  exigent 
foreign  relations,  and  we  shall  confront  an  array  of  difficulties  that 
may  well  make  the  stoutest  heart  quail. 

For  the  solution  of  these  problems  no  amount  of  mere  good  will 
is  going  to  suffice.  They  must  be  met  with  knowledge,  intelligence, 
and  capacity  for  thought.  The  United  States  will  turn  to  its  trained 
men  and  women  with  demands  a  hundredfold  more  difficult  than  it 
has  ever  made  before.  And  it  is  these  demands  that  the  college  must 
meet  in  the  days  ahead.  It  cannot  meet  them  simply  by  turning  out 
boys  and  girls  capable  of  becoming  at  short  notice  department  clerks 
or  laboratory  assistants  or  expert  calculators.  No  mere  technical 
training  will  suffice.  The  college  must  produce  men  and  women 
capable  of  thinking,  capable  of  assembling  and  arranging  facts,  of 
looking  them  squarely  and  fearlessly  in  the  face  and  understanding 
what  they  mean,  of  thinking  out  policies  and  methods  based  on  the 
principles  of  freedom  in  which  we  believe,  but  capable  of  fitting  con- 
ditions in  a  world  sadly  distant  from  our  ideals,  a  world  of  which  we 
are  now  an  integral  part,  a  world  from  the  solution  of  whose  prob- 
lems we  can  by  no  withdrawal  escape.  While  the  colleges  train  their 
students  for  immediate  Government  service,  then,  they  must  keep 
constantly  before  themselves  this  larger  and  more  difficult  task. 
They  must  train  their  students  to  think  in  world  terms,  to  be  inde- 
pendent, self-reliant,  critical,  yet  co-operative  and  constructive  mem- 
bers of  the  great  commonwealth  that  remains  to  build.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  clamor  about  other  ends,  a  clamor  now  strongly  rein- 
forced by  the  unavoidable  demand  for  immediate  service,  the  supreme 
duty  of  the  college  remains  what  it  always  has  been — to  teach 
students  to  think.  For  despite  the  breakdown  of  the  world's  intel- 
lectual leadership  under  stress  of  war,  it  is  still  true  that  the  world 


20 


must  be  saved,  not  by  mysticism,  not  by  sentiment,  but  by  intelligent 
and  unselfish  thinking.  In  war  as  in  peace,  the  college  must  never 
forget  its  chief  task. 

(Editorial  from  the  Louisville  Herald,  May  8,  1918.) 
It  is  characteristic  of  the  Nation,  the  very  last  work  in  sobriety 
and  respectability,  that  commending  anything  it  should  deem  it 
necessary  to  warn  those  concerned  against  the  danger  of  permitting 
the  present  exigency — this  little  accident  of  the  war,  you  know — from 
sweeping  them  off  their  feet. 

This  concession  to  tradition  made,  we  are  justified  in  saying  that 
it  lends  a  discriminating  approval  to  a  plan  submitted  to  it  by  way 
of  correspondence  by  Dean  Patterson,  of  the  University  of  Louisville, 
a  plan  for  "integrating  the  work  of  the  colleges  with  the  war  needs 
of  the  Government."  This  is  in  effect  the  same  scheme  presented 
more  at  length  to  the  Educational  Association  of  the  Commonwealth 
in  the  course  of  the  session  recently  held  in  this  city;  a  scheme  the 
purpose  of  which  was  to  prepare  students — who  meantime  should  be 
exempt  from  draft — for  such  special  work  as  would  best  jump  with 
the  declared  requirements  of  the  Government  service,  the  training 
to  be  only  such  as  Washington  might  demand. 

Of  this  idea  the  Nation  speaks  commendingly : 

"Such  a  plan  would  render  immediately  available  to  the  Govern- 
ment the  whole  new  supply  of  college-trained  men  and  women,  and 
would  make  for  better  utilization  of  the  special  capacities  of  the  col- 
leges. They  could  direct  their  work  more  intelligently  to  meet  Gov- 
ernment needs  at  a  time  when  they  are  all  anxious  to  help  to  tho 
limit  of  their  power.  Moreover,  a  somewhat  better  organization  of 
intercollegiate  relations  might  result,  and  a  promotion  of  that  dis- 
tinctiveness so  much  to  be  desired  in  our  college  development.  The 
plan  is  not  without  its  immediate  and  obvious  dangers,  but  its  advan- 
tages are  such  as  to  entitle  it  to  prompt  and  careful  consideration. 
Whatever  is  done  ought  to  be  done  without  delay." 

There  is  no  need  for  discussion  here.  The  idea  is  one  which,  as 
it  seems  to  us,  needs  only  to  be  known  and  understood  to  be  accepted 
in  principle,  if  not  in  detail ;  and  as  to  details,  these  must  necessarily 
be  left  in  a  somewhat  fluid  state,  or  at  least  in  such  shape  as  to  per- 
mit of  their  natural  modification  by  location,  conditions,  and  circum- 
stances. 

War  work  is  of  two  kinds,  destructive  and  constructive.  The 
first  quite  frankly  busies  itself  with  the  task  of  killing  Germans,  and 
as  many  Germans  as  possible  in  the  most  business-like  manner  pro- 
curable, with  a  minimum  of  expenditure,  that  is,  of  life  and  treasure. 
As  an  example  of  what  we  mean,  we  may  mention  that  we  have  been 
told  on  excellent  authority  that  gassing  a  German  is  by  a  great  deal 
the  least  expensive  method  of  putting  him  out  of  action. 


21 


That  is  one  kind  of  war  work,  the  destructive  kind.  But  there  is 
another  kind,  and  that,  as  we  have  said,  is  constructive.  It  builds 
for  tomorrow  as  well  as  for  today.  It  looks  beyond  the  war  to  the 
future  of  reconstruction,  forgetting  not  at  all  the  urgent  duties  of 
the  day.  For  the  time  being  the  colleges,  like  all  other  activities, 
must  be  ready  to  take  their  orders  from  the  Government,  and  if  we 
may  put  it  that  way,  to  do  as  they  are  told.  Nor  do  we  anticipate 
holding  back  or  repining  in  any  quarter,  the  rather  a  generous 
subordination  to  the  call  of  the  hour,  the  call  that  makes  no  excep- 
tions, that  includes  churches  as  it  does  colleges,  the  call  to  win  the 
war. 

But  if  they  are  to  do  that,  is  it  not  well  that  the  means  and  plan 
of  doing  it  be  charted?  It  is  that  Dean  Patterson  has  in  mind.  He 
suggests  a  questionnaire  to  determine  not  only  how  many  will  volun- 
teer for  special  activities,  but  in  what  fields  they  are  most  sought, 
and  that  those  called  shall  not  lose  the  credits  they  have  gained  and 
the  work  they  have  done,  he  proposed  that  the  special  studies  they 
must  take  for  their  country's  sake  go  toward  the  degrees  originally 
ambitioned. 

This  seems  to  be  a  happy  thought.  It  may  lack  the  Prussian 
rigidity  and  devotion  to  the  national  idea  and  nothing  else;  it  may 
leave  a  loophole  for  individuality  and  deny  that  subserviency  is  the 
mark  of  a  good  citizen,  but  then  those  are  heights  not  only  far  away 
but  un-American. 

The  young  man  and  young  woman  of  America  are  still  to  be  per- 
mitted to  think.    That  is  a  comforting  reflection. 


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